阅读训练

　　Suggestions for Improving Reading Speed

　　Improvement of Reading Rate

　　It is safe to say that almost anyone can double his or her speed of reading while maintaining equal or even better comprehension. In other words, you can improve the speed with which you get what you want from your reading.

　　The average college student reads between 250 and 350 words per minute on fiction and non-technical materials. A "good" reading speed is around 500 to 700 words per minute, but some people can read 1,000 words per minute or more on these materials.

　　What makes the difference? There are three main factors involved in improving reading speed: (1) the desire to improve, (2) the willingness to try new techniques and (3) the motivation to practice.

　　Learning to read rapidly and well presupposes that you have the necessary vocabulary and comprehension skills. When you have advanced on the reading comprehension materials to a level at which you can understand college-level materials, you will be ready to practice speed reading in earnest.

　　The Role of Speed in the Reading Process

　　Understanding the role of speed in the reading process is essential. Research shows a close relation between speed and understanding--although it is the opposite of what you might expect! Among thousands of individuals taking reading training, in most cases an increase in rate was accompanied by an increase in comprehension and a decrease in rate brought decreased comprehension with it. It appears that plodding or word-by-word analysis inhibits rather than increases understanding.

　　Most adults are able to increase their reading rate considerably and rather quickly without lowering their comprehension. These same individuals usually show a decrease in comprehension when they reduce their rate. Such results, of course are heavily dependent upon the method used to gain the increased rate. Simply reading more rapidly without actual improvement in basic reading habits usually results in lowered comprehension.

　　Factors that Reduce Reading Rate

　　Some of the factors which reduce reading rate:

　　1. Limited perceptual span (word-by-word reading);

　　2. Slow perceptual reaction time (slow recognition and response to the material)

　　3. Vocalization (reading aloud)

　　4. Faulty eye movements (including inaccuracy in placement of the page, in return sweep, in rhythm and regularity of movement, etc.);

　　5. Regression (needless or unconscious re-reading)

　　6. Faulty habits of attention and concentration (including simple inattention during the reading act and faulty processes of retention)

　　7. Lack of practice in reading--use it or lose it!

　　8. Fear of losing comprehension, causing the person to deliberately read more slowly;

　　9. Habitual slow reading, in which the person cannot read faster because he or she has always read slowly;

　　10. Poor evaluation of which aspects are important and which are unimportant;

　　11. The effort to remember everything rather than to remember selectively.

　　Since these conditions also tend to reduce comprehension, increasing the reading rate by eliminating them is likely to produce increased comprehension, too. This is entirely different from simply speeding up the rate of reading--which may actually make the real reading problem more severe. In addition, forced acceleration may destroy confidence in one's ability to read. The obvious solution, then, is to increase rate as a part of a total improvement of the whole reading process, as special training programs in reading do.

　　Basic Conditions for Increasing Reading Rate

　　A well-planned program prepares for maximum increase in rate by establishing the necessary conditions. Four basic conditions include:

　　1. Have your eyes checked. Often, very slow reading is related to uncorrected eye defects.

　　Before embarking on a speed reading program, make sure that any correctable eye defects you may have are taken care of.

　　2. Eliminate the habit of pronouncing words as you read. If you sound out words in your throat or whisper them, your reading rate is slowed considerably. You should be able to read most materials at least two or three times faster silently than orally, because you can get meaning from phrases without reading each word individually. If you are aware of sounding or "hearing" words as you read, try to concentrate on key words and meaningful ideas as you force yourself to read faster.

　　3. Avoid regressing (rereading). The average student reading at 250 words per minute regresses or rereads about 20 times per page. Rereading words and phrases is a habit which will slow your reading speed down to a snail's pace. Usually, it is unnecessary to reread words, for the ideas you want are explained and elaborated more fully later.

　　Furthermore, the slowest reader usually regresses most frequently. Because he reads slowly, his mind has time to wander and his rereading reflects both his inability to concentrate and his lack of confidence in his comprehension skills.

　　4. Develop a wider eye-span. This will help you read more than one word at a glance. Since written material is less meaningful if read word by word, this will help you learn to read by phrases or thought units.

　　Rate Adjustment

　　Poor results are inevitable if the reader attempts to use the same rate for all types of material and for all reading purposes. He must learn to adjust his rate to his purpose in reading and to the difficulty of the material. The fastest rate works on easy, familiar, interesting material or in reading to gather information on a particular point; A slower rate is better for material which is unfamiliar in content and language structure or which must be thoroughly digested. The effective reader adjusts his rater the ineffective reader always uses the same.

　　Rate may be adjusted overall for an entire article, or internally for parts of an article. As an analogy, imagine that you plan to take a 100-mile mountain trip. Since this trip will include hills, curves, and a mountain pass, you estimate it will take three hours for the total trip, averaging about 35 miles an hour. This is your overall rate adjustment. In actual driving, however, you may slow down to no more than 15 miles per hour on some curves and hills, while speeding up to 50 miles per hour or more on relatively straight and level sections. This is your internal rate adjustment. Similarly, there is no set rate which the good reader follows inflexibly in reading a particular selection, even though he has set himself an overall rate for the total job.

　　Reading rate should vary according to your reading purpose. To understand information, for example, skim or scan at a rapid rate. To determine the value of material or to read for enjoyment, read rapidly or slowly according to your feeling. To read analytically, read at a moderate pace to permit you to interrelated ideas.

　　The nature and difficulty of the material also calls for adjustments in rate. Obviously, level of difficulty depends greatly on the particular reader's knowledge. While Einstein's theories may be extremely difficult for most laymen, they would be very simple and clear to a professor of physics. Hence, the layman and the physics professor will read the same material at different rates. Generally, difficult material will entail a slower rater simpler material will permit a faster rate.

　　In general, decrease speed when you find the following:

　　1. Unfamiliar terminology. Try to understand it in context at that point; otherwise, read on and return to it later.

　　2. Difficult sentence and paragraph structure. Slow down enough to enable you to untangle them and get accurate context for the passage.

　　3. Unfamiliar or abstract concepts. Look for applications or examples of your own as well as studying those of the writer. Take enough time to get them clearly in mind.

　　4. Detailed, technical material. This includes complicated directions, statements of difficult principles, and materials on which you have scant background.

　　5. Material on which you want detailed retention.

　　In general, Increase speed when you meet the following:

　　1. Simple material with few ideas which are new to you. Move rapidly over the familiar ones; spend most of your time on the unfamiliar ideas.

　　2. Unnecessary examples and illustrations. Since these are included to clarify ideas, move over them rapidly when they are not needed.

　　3. Detailed explanation and idea elaboration which you do not need.

　　4. Broad, generalized ideas and ideas which are restatements of previous ones. These can be readily grasped, even with scan techniques.

　　1. A person with a good reading speed usually reads between 250 and 350 words per minute on fiction and non-technical materials.

　　2. If one attempts to remember everything rather than to remember selectively during reading, he/she may have a comparatively slow reading rate.

　　3. The writer proposes to use the same rate for all types of material and for all reading purposes.

　　4. Knowledgeable people read faster.

　　5. If one has the desire to improve his reading speed, the motivation to practice and, he may improve his reading speed.

　　6. A precondition for a reader to learn to read rapidly and well is that he must have the necessary ______.

　　7. Different from what most people expect, the research shows that an increase in reading rate may lead to ______.

　　8. To avoid destroying confidence in one's ability to read, one should speed up the rate of reading as apart of ______.

　　9. Rereading of a slow reader reflects both his ______ and his lack of confidence in his comprehension skills.

　　10. An effective reader usually adjusts his rate to his purpose in reading and to the difficulty of the material while an ineffective reader always ______.

答案解析

　　Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)

　　1. N 2. Y 3. N 4. NG

　　5. the willingness to try new techniques

　　6. vocabulary and comprehension skills

　　7. an increase in comprehension

　　8. a total improvement of the whole reading process

　　9. inability to concentrate

　　10. uses the same reading rate

　　Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension(Skimming and Scanning)

　　1.由“Improvement of Reading Rate”部分第二段“The average college student reads between 250 and 350 words per minute on fiction and non-technical materials.A“good” reading speed is around 500 to 700 words per minute，but some people can read 1000 words per minute or more on these materials.”可见阅读速度快的人，每分钟可阅读500到700词。故此句判断为NO。

　　2.由“Factors that Reduce Reading Rate”部分第11点“The effort to remember everything rather than to remember selectively.”可见阅读过程中试图记住所有阅读内容会影响阅读的速度。故此句判断为YES。

　　3.由“Rate Adjustment”部分第一句“Poor results are inevitable if the reader attempts to use the same rate for all types of material and for all reading purposes.”可知如果无视阅读材料的类型和不同的阅读目的而用同一种速度来阅读，结果肯定是不理想的。因此，作者显然不会建议用同一种阅读速度来阅读不同类型的材料，应对不同的阅读目的。故此句判断NO。

　　4.文章只在“Rate Adjustment”部分提到阅读者的知识问题。由这部分第四段的第一、二句：“The nature and difficulty of the material also calls for adjustments in rate. Obviously， level of difficulty depends greatly on the particular reader's knowledge.”可知阅读材料的难易影响阅凑速度的调节。而材料的难易往往取决于阅读者的知识水平。因此，阅读者的知识影响他对材料的阅读。但是否一定“有知识的人阅读速度快”，作者并没有明确指出。故此句判断为NOT GIVEN。

　　5.由“Improvement of Reading Rate”部分第三段中的“There are three main factors involved in improving reading speed;(1)the desire to improve，(2)the willingness to try new techniques and(3) the motivation to practice.”可知要提高阅读速度，阅读者必须有提高阅读的愿望，愿意尝试新的技巧并且有进行训练的动机。故本题的正确答案为“the willingness to try new techniques”。

　　6.由“Improvement of Reading Rate”部分第四段第一句“Learning to read rapidly and well presupposes that you have the necessary vocabulary and comprehension skills.”可知要提高阅读速度和质量的前提是你必须有必要的词汇量和阅读技巧。故此题答案为“vocabulary and comprehension skills”。

　　7.由“The Role of Speed in the Reading Process”部分第一段“Research shows a close relation between speed and understanding—although it is the opposite of what you might expect! Among thousands of individuals taking reading training，in most cases an increase in rate was accompanied by an increase in comprehension and a decrease in rate brought decreased comprehension with it.”可知研究表明，和人们预计的不一样，阅读速度的增加并不以牺牲理解为代价。相反，提高速度也会提高理解。故本题正确答案为“an increase in comprehension”。

　　8.由“Factors that Reduce Reading Rate”部分最后一段“This is entirely different from simply speeding up the rate of reading--which may actually make the real reading problem more severe.In addition，forced acceleration may destroy confidence in one's ability to read. The obvious solution，then，is to increase rate as a part of a total improvement of the whole reading process，as special training programs in reading do.”可知如果仅仅强迫自己提高阅读速度，反而会使阅读问题更加严重，会打击自己在阅读能力方面的信心。所以提高速度只是改善整个阅读进程的一个部分。故正确答案为“a total improvement of the whole reading process”。

　　9.由“Basic Conditions for Increasing Reading Rate”部分第四段中的“Furthermore，the slowest reader usually regresses most frequently.Because he reads slowly，his mind has time to wander and his rereading reflects both his inability to concentrate and his lack of confidence in his comprehension skills.”可见阅读速度最慢的读者，回读的频率也最高。由于读得慢，他也容易开小差。而回读也反映出他缺乏集中注意力的能力并对自己的阅读技巧缺乏信心。故此题正确答案为“inability to concentrate”。

　　10.由“Rate Adjustment”部分第一段“Poor results are inevitable if the reader attempts to use the same rate for all types of material and for all reading purposes，He must learn to adjust his rate to his purpose in reading and to the difficulty of the material...The effective reader adjusts his rate;the ineffective reader always uses the same.”可见效率高的阅读者会根据阅读的目的和阅读材料的难易调整阅读速度。而效率低的阅读者往往用同样的速度应对所有的阅读目的和阅读材料。故此题正确答案是“uses the same reading rate”。